The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as the Foreign Ministry) is the competent authority in charge of the affairs concerning permanent offices of foreign media organizations and foreign journalists in China. The permanent offices of foreign media organizations refer to the China-based branches of foreign media organizations which are established legally in their home countries and engage in the business of news coverage and reporting, including newspapers, magazines, news agencies, photo agencies, radio stations, TV stations, etc.. Foreign journalists refer to the career journalists who work for foreign media organizations and engage in news coverage and reporting activities, such as the presidents, chief editors, editors, anchors, cameramen, photographers, print reporters, light and sound technicians, and etc..

The foreign affairs offices of the local people's governments are entrusted by the Foreign Ministry with the handling of affairs concerning foreign journalists in their respective administrative areas. The Foreign Affairs Offices (FAOs) of Shanghai, Chongqing Municipal Governments, and Guangdong, Liaoning Provincial Governments are respectively responsible for dealing with the affairs related to foreign resident journalists in Shanghai, Chongqing, Guangdong and Liaoning.